Heartsong LLC

Last Updated On: May 7th, 2026 at 07:37PM MST

Contact information

Farm Address:
7034C Highway 291
Tumtum, Washington, 99034

Primary Contact: Kirsten Angell
Primary Phone:
    Type: Cell
    Number: 509-688-4122
    Email: kirsten.asha@gmail.com

Website:

Internship information

General Farm Description: The Heartsong Families are three families from Spokane, Washington who share in stewarding an 8 1/2-acre former retreat center in Tumtum, WA, about 25 miles north of Spokane in Stevens County. It is tucked away in a meadow just west of the tip of a hairpin turn in the Spokane River near Twin Mountains in the southern foothills of the Summit Range and the Iron Mountains of northeast Washington state. Heartsong consists of a portion of a large, sub-irrigated meadow bordered by Ponderosa Pine forest to the west and a ravine riparian zone straddling a seasonal creek to the east. There is an orchard with about 25 established and young fruit trees (with other fruit and nut trees dispersed around the property) and an 8000 sq. ft. polyculture garden. A large main building, which is a nicely renovated barn, houses a good-sized common kitchen. Upstairs in the barn is a large meeting room that can seat 60 people. There are four private dwellings, a well-outfitted shop, a small greenhouse, a small auxiliary barn and a wood-fired sauna adjacent to a spring fed pond.

CRAFT Member Farm? No

Internship Starts: 1-Apr-22
Internship Ends: Negotiable
Number of Internship Available: 1
Application Deadline: 15-Mar-22
Minimum Length of Stay: 6 mos.

Internship Details:

The Caretaker lives on-site and contributes an average of 12 hours of work per week – more during gardening season and less during the off-season – to Heartsong in exchange for rent and pays a share of the utilities bill (which can be paid down by providing lawn-mowing hours). This work may include, but is not limited to:

Gardening, building maintenance, tree and bush trimming, fence building, orchard care, painting, and other work.

The Caretaker checks on all buildings weekly, assesses what maintenance may be needed, traps and removes rodents, waters houseplants, plants, weeds and harvests the garden, cares for and harvests the orchard, waters them and other plantings, manages the recycling and trash, and carries out other tasks as appropriate. The caretaker also keeps communal spaces tidy and clutter-free after using them.

From time to time, the Heartsong families will provide a prioritized list of tasks for the Caretaker to work on. Several times each year, the caretaker helps organize “work weekends” for the Families and others to tackle bigger jobs. Along with the Heartsong Families, the Caretaker will participate in general cleaning and maintenance that is simply part of living there and doesn’t count towards weekly hours.

The Caretaker enters into a contract with the Heartsong Families and is required to sign a liability release provided by the Families.

Educational Opportunities: Self-directed.

Skills Desired: Knowledge of caretaking duties including simple repairs, maintenance tasks and routine security checks Deep interest in and working knowledge of permaculture or related field(s) (agro-ecology, biodynamics, organics, regenerative agriculture, animal husbandry, bee keeping, etc.) Working knowledge of fruit and vegetable cultivation, harvest and preservation. Light carpentry and "handy" skills such as lawn mowing, equipment maintenance and janitorial. Self-starter, independent and reliable. Good communicator (important for relating with Heartsong families, neighbors, etc.) Comfort with living (mostly) alone in a somewhat isolated rural area. Comfort with group living situations. (Families also stay there off and on.) Independent income.

Meals: Caretaker provides own meals.

Stipend: Work in exchange for rent. 1/4 of the harvest.

Housing: Yes. The Caretaker lives in a 650 sq. ft. two-story A-frame tiny house perched above the seasonal creek with a porch and view of the wooded riparian zone.

Preferred method of Contact: Email